The Promise (2006)

A romantic tale of love, loyalty, ambition and destiny, THE PROMISE marks acclaimed director Chen Kaige’s foray into the martial arts fantasy genre. Richly imagined and breathtakingly realized, the film follows the intertwined fates of a beautiful princess and the three men who fall in love with her: a general, his slave, and a rival Duke. Unbeknownst to the men, the princess made a pact with a goddess many years ago; she has forsaken the prospect of true love for the promise of riches and power. Any man she loves, she will lose, a bargain which has hitherto bore no consequence for the princess, as haughty as she is lovely. But when a slave -- disguised as a mighty general - defends first her honor and then her life with an unflinching valor, the princess feels something stir within her for the first time, and in the awakening of passion, she realizes with dread what destiny holds for her. Enslaved to the fate that has befallen them, only the truest love of all can alter the course of their destiny...